The internet is a fabulous thing and has shaped modern life in numerous ways. And clearly it had its impact on the way people learn today. Not only are there countless learning resources available, often one can learn something new completely free of charge.
However, when looking for something on the Internet today, especially with the intention to gain knowledge, information and learn something new, the experience can be pretty overwhelming as there is so much content available. This is why curation in education has become so prominent over the past 2-3 years. Learners, and teachers alike, often rely on experts to cut through all the noise and come up with the best pieces of content, may it be articles, videos, infographics or other forms of content.
MentorMob allows experts to create playlists where they can break down a longer and often complicated process of learning something into small and digestible steps.
Introduce your startup and give a short description of what you are doing.
MentorMob makes learning easier for everyone.The MentorMob community finds the best free learning content on the web and organizes it into free, comprehensive learning guides.
MentorMob’s mission is to empower anyone to start, enhance or master any skill or hobby by making the best free learning content of the web easier to find.
Who are the founders, how did you meet, what are your different roles in the startup.
MentorMob was started by University of Illinois Alumni Kris Chinosorn and Vince Leung. After meeting at UIUC, both Kris and Vince knew there had to be a better, more efficient way to learn for free online and that is when MentorMob was born.
Kris Chinosorn is a University of Illinois alum who acts now as the strategic and creative head of MentorMob. An early dotcom entrepreneur, Kris worked on several projects with the earliest employees of Facebook, Google and Paypal before coming across his realization of how to use the Internet to solve a worldwide problem.
Vince comes in as the tech head of MentorMob with an engineering degree from the University of Illinois. He started his career in California working for exciting projects for both enterprise and consumer spaces, including the Motorola Razr.
How was the idea for your startup born?
The idea for MentorMob sprouts from the backgrounds of Kris Chinosorn and Vince Leung. Both avid learners, they found early on that the Internet was not quite the incredible tool for learning new skills and hobbies that everyone thinks it is. Even with millions of free lessons online, the content is almost impossible to navigate. Enter MentorMob.
What is the main problem in education that you aim to solve.
We are addressing a problem that everyone has, but have yet to realize. Search engines find information, but don’t organize it. By curating and organizing the best online learning content, MentorMob allows people who spend all their time searching to actually start learning. And MentorMob provides the community a way to learn and interact with anyone else who’s learning it...anywhere in the world.
Who are your main competitors? What sets you apart from them?
Google. YouTube. The internet. All give you a lot of content and most is of questionable quality. MentorMob provides one definitive learning guide of the highest quality content that is out there on the web.
In which markets / regions are you active. What markets / regions are next.
We are anywhere people are searching the web to learn a new interest, hobby or lifestyle. We make top quality education accessible for everyone. Currently, we have launched with kiteboarding, photography, snowboarding, parenting, wedding planning, salsa dancing, bachata and entrepreneurship. We have a list of mobs we will be moving into shortly. Any you want to see?
Who is your target audience.
Hobbyists, educators and lifelong learners around the global. YOU!
What is your business model. How much does your product / service cost.
The first phase involves brand sponsorships. The value proposition is building a relationship with a highly qualified group of users learning the hobby that the brand wants to sell, to be coupled with a very high engagement experience. Since users are on MentorMob to learn a hobby it is natural to learn about related products and services that you will need.
Are there milestones you are especially proud of and would like to share.
We are especially proud of watching our community grow, learn and interact around the world.
From our internal standpoint it has been extremely gratifying to see our name in Times Square for the ringing of the NASDAQ bell. Also, this past year we were top 3 at SXSW Entertainment and Content.
What are the next steps in growing your startup.
Getting the word out there to more people around the world. Sharing the love!